The Nightmare
by Ginger S
Summary: Sometimes things happen that have the makings of a real nightmare for those involved. This was one of those days for the men of Station 51.


**The Nightmare**

By GCS

_Emergency! and the characters are owned by Universal and Mark VII._

_I am only borrowing them for some fun at no profit to myself._

The rope slipped through his gloved fingers too quickly.

His body stiffened and his back arched. He knew it was coming.

The crew watched intently as he moved down the rope...too fast. Chet's mouth gaped wide...his eyes turned away. He couldn't watch any longer.

"Shit!" Mike couldn't help the explicative that escaped his lips as he watched things unfold completely out of their control.

"Cap...isn't there something?" Marco asked searchingly.

Hank stood, hands on his hips, watching...waiting...knowing. "No Marco." He closed his eyes and lowered his chin to his chest. He couldn't watch anymore.

They stood at the edge of the drop off. They waited for it. They knew it was coming.

"Roy!" he called for his best friend. There was no response. The end was near. Things seemed to move in slow motion. His eyes traveled up to his friends. They were with him...even now. His hands slipped free.

His arms flailed.

He tried in vain to lower his feet. He needed his feet to hit first. It would be better.

_'I'm coming partner.' _ Thoughts raced through his mind like a reel to reel.

The wind against his back reminded him of the gusts that blew across the plains near his childhood home. He could feel the mist from the water breaking against rocks. The sky was a brilliant blue with a few puffy white clouds...a perfect California day.

Only today wasn't perfect.

This was not supposed to happen.

Things like this were never supposed to happen.

Not to Roy.

He had to find him. He promised Joanne he'd always bring him home. If he didn't he couldn't go home either.

This is it. No turning back now.

He finally got his feet below his body. His arms crossed his chest...ready for what lay beneath.

He quickly sucked in a deep breath.

He felt it the moment he feet broke the surface of the churning ocean. The cold water filled his shoes and quickly seeped into his clothing. _'It's funny how water can be so cold on such a sunny day.' _ His body jolted from side to side with the crashing waves as they rolled inland and crashed back from against the face of the cliff as he slipped further into the frigid water. Then the water covered him taking him beneath the surface of the foamy breakers.

'_I've got to find Roy. He has to be all right.'_

Johnny kicked with all he had trying to resurface. He could see the sunlight filter through the water. The salty ocean burned his eyes and fear gripped his heart.

It was supposed to be a simple cliff rescue. They'd done them a hundred times. Some poor civilian would slip from the edge and they would find them hanging on for dear life. Johnny or Roy would get lowered down and put a belt on the victim. The guys would pull them up. It was supposed to be easy. Like clockwork.

The engine crew watched in horror as Roy's line broke.

Johnny, who had been beside the squad setting up the equipment, immediately knew something was seriously wrong when he heard the yells from his shift mates. He ran over to the cliff edge just as Roy collided with the victim and both fell into the churning ocean.

Johnny turned to Captain Stanley and without hesitation he grabbed the rope and started his descent.

He didn't take the time to get a lifebelt. He wouldn't be using it anyway. The rope was too short.

He could hear his friends calling out to him not to do it. But the need to try to rescue his best friend outweighed all logic.

Now he was in the water with no real plan, just the need to find Roy.

He fought his way to the surface. As soon as his head breached the rolling foam he felt the strong force of the waves crashing back against him from the rocks at the base of the cliff. He scanned the rocks for any sight of Roy or their victim. Just as he thought he saw something another wave crashed over his head sending him back beneath the crest. Wave after wave washed over him making it difficult to keep his head above the water.

He was carried in closer to the rocks. He felt his leg graze against the face and the tearing of his pants and skin. He grasped at the rock trying to pull himself up and around it. Finally, he felt the force of the thrashing water ease as he made his way between some rocks. That's when he saw them.

Their victim had impacted his head on the rocks when he fell. He never had a chance. Roy wasn't breathing when Johnny got to him. He pulled him over, checked his airway and began rescue breathing.

Captain Stanley radioed for the coast guard as soon as he saw Roy fall. Johnny thought he could hear the engine of the boat approaching, but the breakers were too rough for a boat. He didn't think he could get Roy to them. He hoped that they would get to him instead. He blew more air into his comatose friend.

He hung on to Roy with one hand while he grasped at the rock with the other. He could feel the sharp edges cutting into the palm of his hand. The rocking of the waves threatened to pull them both under. _'Come on…come on, I can't hold on much longer.' _His already weakened shoulder protested. He'd just been back on duty for a few shifts after dislocating it. That's why Roy went down to begin with. Johnny didn't think his shoulder would bear the weight of a rope climb with a victim yet. He was still doing physical therapy to strengthen it, but it wasn't up to his standards yet.

He breathed for Roy again. Then he lost his precarious hold, and they both slid beneath the surface. Johnny pushed Roy upward. He could feel the undercurrent pulling him down. Then Roy's weight was gone. Exhaustion kicked in and thinking he'd lost Roy, Johnny gave into the blackness.

That was two days ago.

"Has he regained consciousness yet?" Captain Stanley asked Dr. Brackett.

"No. I'm sorry to say there is no significant change." Dr. Brackett put his left hand on Hank's left shoulder and gave it a slight squeeze of reassurance. Then he left the Captain alone with his crewman.

Hank pulled over the hard plastic "torture" chair and settled in for his visit. "Hey I'm back again. There isn't really much to tell. We're back on shift tomorrow. The place won't be the same without the two of you, but we'll get by somehow. Don't tell anyone I said this, but I hope they don't send Brice in as a replacement. I don't think my nerves can take that right now." Hank looked at the face of the man in the bed. "You look like you are just sleeping. I wish you would wake up." He sighed. "Well anyway I brought the book back. Do you want me to read some? I think that would be a good idea." He settled back in the totally uncomfortable chair and lifted his feet to rest on the end of the bed. "What? You don't think I should be comfortable too?" He teased.

"Okay let's see. We were reading "The Children of Dune" by Frank Herbert. I know you read the first two in this series already. We were on chapter two.

Hank began reading to his friend.

Dixie had been watching him from the doorway. She was very moved by the dedication Captain Stanley had for his men. She knew he would need a break in a little while. She would bring him some coffee and maybe an apple turnover. She smiled to herself thinking Johnny liked apple turnovers. She slipped quietly from the room.

Joanne Desoto hurried into the elevator. She was running late this morning. Chris had a project due at school and he had needed her to help him get the poster inside along with all of his other things. Then his teacher had insisted on telling her about his progress. She didn't want to be rude to his teacher, but hearing about how her son was doing in school seemed to pale in comparison to the thoughts that were running through her mind about her husband, who was currently in ICU at Rampart.

She watched the numbers flicker by as the elevator climbed to the ICU floor. It seemed to be moving excruciatingly slow this morning.

When she had left last night Roy had been breathing on his own. There hadn't been any other significant changes, but he was off the ventilator and that had to mean something…didn't it?

The doors opened and she nearly ploughed into Dixie as she stepped off the elevator. "Oh Dixie! I'm so sorry. I didn't see you."

Dixie smiled at her long time friend. "Hey where's the fire?" She regretted the comment as soon as she had made it. Hoping to avert the upset she knew might come due to the reference to fire she quickly asked another question. "What's the hurry?"

"I'm late. I told Roy I would be here by 9:30." She glanced at her watch. "I got tied up at Chris's school. I…I'm late. He'll be wondering where I am." She started past Dixie who reached out and grabbed her arm.

"Joanne, honey, he doesn't know you're late. He knows you're there when you are talking to him I think, but I doubt that he recognizes time right now. You need to calm down before you go in there. He'll know you're upset. That will stress him out, and that's not good for him." She waited to see if Joanne had heard her and if she understood.

Joanne looked at Dixie then at her hands. "I just don't want him to think I didn't come."

"He would never think that." Dixie assured her. "Now why don't you and I go get a cup of coffee and try to calm down a little before we go upsetting him for nothing. What do you say?"

Joanne relaxed a little. "Okay."

Together the two women turned and waited for another elevator to take them down to the cafeteria.

Dr. Early came quietly into the darkened room to check on his patient "Now let me see your eyes." He pulled the pen light from his pocket and flipped it on. As he bent down to shine it into the patient's eyes, he noticed they were trying to open on their own. "Come on it's time you were waking up." He waited and slowly the eyes blinked awake. "Hi there." He smiled as he reached over and pressed the nurse's call button.

The duty nurse poked her head into the room, "Yes doctor."

"Could you please page Dr. Brackett? I think our friend is waking up."

"Yes sir. Right away." She disappeared.

Dr. Early shinned his light into each eye. Listened to his chest and checked the bandages on his hands were the rocks had cut into his skin. "So tell me do you know where you are?"

"Rampart." He whispered hoarsely. "Wha…what happened?" His eyes searched the room looking for his best friend.

"Now you're supposed to tell me what happened." The kindly doctor smiled.

"I…water? I went into the water." He squeezed his eyebrows together in thought.

"The rope…I remember the rope broke. The victim?" He looked at the doctor.

"I'm sorry he didn't make it." Dr. Early patted the paramedic's shoulder.

"Doc?" He looked around the room. "Where's Johnny?"

Not wanting to upset Roy, Dr. Early made an excuse for Johnny. "He isn't here right now."

"He was by the squad. He didn't try to come down there. Did he? Tell me he didn't. His shoulder couldn't take that kind of rope rescue yet. Tell me he didn't do something dangerous. Doc?" Roy was getting upset. "Doc, I need to know. Where's John?"

Dr. Brackett had joined them about the time Roy started asking about Johnny. He had also heard Joe's response. "Now Roy, you know your partner. He can't sit still for five minutes. Like Joe said he isn't here right now."

Roy noticed the twitch in the corner of Dr. Brackett's mouth. He knew from experience that twitch meant trouble. He knew either Johnny had done something wrong or there was something wrong with Johnny. "What aren't you telling me? If he wasn't hurt he would be here right now. He wouldn't leave unless you made him, unless he was hurt or sick or both." Roy tried to sit up. Dr. Brackett pushed him back down in the bed. "You know you have to tell me. I'm his power of attorney. I have a right to know where my partner is. What happened to him?"

Knowing Roy was right; Dr. Brackett decided to tell Roy the truth. "He's not here, because he's in another ICU room. He came down after you. He actually got to you according to your Captain, and started rescue breathing for you after you had drowned."

Roy's eyes got wide. "After I drowned? Do you mean to tell me I drowned?" Alarm spread across Roy's face. "Jesus, Joanne must be sick with worry."

"Anyway, Roy, Johnny held on to those rocks as long as he could, but the waves were just too rough. He lost his hold and both you and he slipped beneath the surface just as the Coast Guard swimmers reached you. Johnny pushed you up to them, but he was pulled under by the under current."

"Oh God."

"They got to him, but he was under for a long time. Right now he's still on a vent and not showing any sign of even attempting to breathe on his own. If he doesn't improve soon…I don't know." The corner of Dr. Brackett's mouth twitched again. "We're still hoping."

"He thinks I didn't make it. I have to see him. Doc, he thinks he failed me. I just know it. That's why he's given up. He thinks he let Joanne down. He promised her. Don't you see he promised Joanne he would always make sure I got home. He thinks I didn't."

Doctor Early looked at Kel, "Maybe he has a point Kel."

"Okay Roy, let me get a wheel chair, but only for a few minutes. You've had a rough time of it yourself." Dr. Brackett turned and left the room.

"Dr. Early, how long has it been?"

"It's been a couple of days, Roy."

"What time is it?"

Dr. Early looked at his watch. "It's ten am. Why?"

"Joanne's late. She said she would be here by 9:30 today. She should be here by now." Roy looked at the door as though he expected his wife to be standing there. "I wonder where she is?"

Dr. Early didn't know when or if Roy had been awake before now, but he realized that at some point when Joanne was visiting yesterday she must have told her husband when she would be there this morning, and even in his catatonic state, Roy had heard her.

Instead of his wife Roy saw Dr. Brackett come back into the room. "Okay Roy let's get you into this chair."

Dr. Brackett pushed Roy into the darkened ICU room. He looked over all the machines and tubes running from his friend. Johnny lay motionless in the hospital bed. The ventilator breathing for him made a swishing noise and the monitors bleeped along with his heart. "I'm here Johnny. Do you hear me? I'm here." There was no response. The swishing continued. The bleeps echoed in Roy's throbbing head. It was too soon for him to be up after just waking up himself, but Johnny needed him. He needed to know that he had survived. If Roy couldn't get through to Johnny no one could. "You didn't fail me Junior. You didn't let Joanne down." Roy surveyed the damage to his friend. His shoulder had once again been wrapped. Both of his hands were bandaged. He reached down and picked up Johnny's bandaged hand, and looked up at Dr. Brackett.

"The rocks did a number on his hands too." Dr. Brackett explained.

Joanne and Dixie came into the room. Roy heard his wife's gasp when she saw him not only awake, but sitting next to his best friend. "Roy."

He looked up at his wife. "Hi honey. You were running a little late, so I decided to come see how Johnny's doing." Joanne smiled at Dixie with an 'I told you so' look on her face.

Roy turned his attention back to Johnny. He thought that Johnny looked a little too pale. Then he noticed a book on the bedside table. He picked it up, reading the cover, "The Children of Dune" by Frank Herbert. "I didn't know you liked science fiction. I've read this trilogy it's really good. I won't tell you what happens in this one. I don't want to ruin your fun." He put the book back down and turned to his friend.

"I know you think something happened to me, Junior, but I'm right here. You have to come back to us. Joanne's here too, and Dr. Brackett, Dr. Early and Dixie. We're all right here with you. The guys they'll be waiting for us to come back on shift. Come on Johnny, wake up for me. We still have a lot to do." Roy sighed deeply. "Come on Johnny…"

Everyone in the room seemed to be holding their breath until the heart monitor beeps seemed to be a little faster.

Roy felt Johnny's hand curl around his.

"That's right Junior, it's time to wake up. It's time for this nightmare to be over."


End file.
